Stop having a go at Black Friday!

Has anyone had any similar experiences? Get in touch on Twitter via @eveningchron

15.46Chris Scott

Black Friday is a bit more feisty in the States!

Hey America, chill!

15.45Chris Scott

Huge crowds failed to materialise

Dozens of North East shoppers got out of bed early to bag a bargain on Black Friday - but there were no signs of huge crowds outside stores.

Many shops across the region opened their doors early to offer cut-price deals and a large number of customers started queueing up to get in.

However, with many retailers making discounts available online from midnight, scores of bargain hunters chose to shop on the internet and use ‘click and collect’ methods instead.

In addition, a number of firms decided to hold Black Friday events during the whole weekend rather than just one day.

At the Tesco branch in Kingston Park, Newcastle, up to 100 customers lined up before the shutters were raised at 5am. The supermarket installed queuing systems and assured shoppers there would be enough stock.

And at the Silverlink Retail Park, in North Tyneside, there were around 20 people outside Currys PC World at 6am.

Naz Choudhury, 34, owner of the Spice Raj takeaway in Cramlington, was the first in the queue. He had been there since around 4am.

He said: “I was expecting a long queue so I thought I would come early but there were not many people here. I wanted to have a look around for some bargains and see if I could get a TV at a good deal.”

Also among the shoppers was Chris Lewin, 23, of Blyth, who said: “I was up early in the morning anyway so we thought we would come and have a look in the shops. I managed to get a 32in TV for £130, which was good. I bought it as a Christmas present for a relative.”

Are online offers keeping the crowds away?

If you were thinking of popping to the shops now might be a good time. The city centre doesn’t seem too busy.

Reminder

Frustrated cabbies to hold third go-slow protest

Just a reminder for all shoppers that taxi drivers are gearing-up to stage a third go-slow protest through Newcastle city centre, at rush hour today.

Cabbies twice brought Newcastle city centre to a standstill earlier this month when scores of drivers turned out to show their anger at Newcastle City Council’s decision to scrap the ‘knowledge’ test for new drivers.

The authority got rid of the stringent test, which demands cabbies in the city have in-depth knowledge of the area they cover, earlier this year, arguing that the increased use of apps and sat navs and changes in Government legislation made the traditional exam obsolete.

Taxis drivers cause traffic problems during the protest dirve at the Civic Centre in Newcastle.

However, cabbies say the city has now been flooded with inexperienced drivers, and this is not only threatening their livelihood but putting passengers’ safety at risk.

And they will today show their anger once again by driving slowly through the city in convoy.

The protest will begin at 4.30pm on Jesmond Road West, near the civic centre.

NEW: Black Friday offer

Thanks once again to Dan for keeping the blog going this morning. Stellar job sir! So I thought I’d join the party with a Black Friday offer I’m sure you’ll like.

14:13

Fashion stores deals

It’s not just the big tech retailers and department stores getting in on all the Black Friday sale action.

Big high street fashion stores like Matalan, River Island, Topman and more are all following suit and offering exclusive Black Friday discounts on everything from outerwear and party season essentials to accessories and footwear.

Topshop half price Black Friday deals

Matalan: In-store half price sale

River Island: Daily flash deals

Miss Selfridge: 50% off everything

Dorothy Perkins: Up to 30% off

New Look: Cyber Week Sale

Topman: Up to 40% off

Boohoo.com: Discount code deals

Pre-Black Friday discounts at Burton

50% off at French Connection

All Saints: ‘Cyber weekend’ discount code

14:04

Tips to staying safe on Black Friday

Black Friday might have its origins in the American tradition of Thanksgiving, but crikey, it can take a nasty turn.

Despite some stores changing their approach this year, tensions could still run high so here are five tips for ensuring Black Friday shopping is an occasion to enjoy rather than endure.

You can avoid coming to blows with these four pieces of good customer practice:

Don’t queue jump. A long queue may seem daunting but just don’t. It’s a horrible thing to do and entirely unfair. Wait your turn.

Don’t get angry. It’s a common Black Friday scene for two people to have their hand on the large box encasing the last TV on the shelf. But no matter how frustrated you feel, don’t shout at or abuse fellow shoppers. Sadly, people have sustained injuries in previous years through actual fighting over the best deals. Is it worth it? No it never is.

Do be polite to staff. Imagine how hideous working the Black Friday shift is for retail staff. Many will have worked long hours before the doors even open to get the store ready for the big day so please be patient and civil. That this is now a thing of this scale isn’t their fault - it’s society’s!

Don’t steal. We shouldn’t even need to say this but sadly it has happened. It could be hard to resist a packed trolley whose owner’s attention is elsewhere, especially if they’ve got the last Frozen bike your kid really wants perched on the top, but just don’t do it.

13:55

Shop opening times

If you’re wondering whether the shops will still be open when you leave work, we’ve compiled a handy list for you here.

13:40

Black Friday weather forecast

Black Friday 2015 is nearly here but if you’re braving the shops, will you need a brolly or your winter woollens?

Here’s a Black Friday weather forecast for the North East by hour - our advice is go with layers!

Shoppers on Northumberland Street in Newcastle

At 1PM: The day’s high temperature! 12 lovely degrees.

At 2PM: Bad news - it’s forecast to rain with a heavy shower due and feeling more like 8 degrees.

At 3PM: Light rain is forecast and it’ll cool down as darkness starts to fall, feeling more like 6 degrees.

At 5PM: Temperatures down to a chilly 7 degrees and feeling more like 3 degrees with that pesky light rain that soaks you through.

At 7PM: Temperatures will hover around 5 but feel more like freezing, with heavy rain forecast from 6pm.

At 9PM: It’ll be down to 4 degrees and feeling considerably colder, so wrap up warm!

13:33

What if I wasn’t able to go shopping on Friday?

Don’t worry.

Plenty of stores are running Black Friday deals throughout the weekend so you still have a chance to grab a bargain.

13:27

Was Black Friday a flop?

No. It’s important to remember that a large number of retailers were offering discounts online and a lot of customers will have done their shopping on the internet, using ‘click and collect’ methods.

13:20

How does this year compare to 2014?

Shops were braced for chaos as Black Friday began today - but in a huge anti-climax across the country the crowds failed to show up.

It was a far cry from the mass frenzy of last year’s Black Friday where the hunt for bargains led to scenes of violence up and down the country.

Lucy Larkin, managing director, Accenture UK, said: “The sheer scale of Black Friday last year took all retailers by surprise and as a result, they simply weren’t prepared. They struggled with their entire supply chain, from sorting and packing right through to having the courier network in place to deliver the goods to the customer in the timeframe that had been promised.

“As we have already seen this year, some retailers are taking a more controlled approach and we expect to see more of that as UK retailers get used to running Black Friday promotions here.”

13:06

Free WiFi for train passengers

Good work from Virgin Trains East Coast on offering free WiFi to passengers on Black Friday.

13:00

Mr Justice's guide on how to stay safe online

Getting involved in Black Friday?

We have put together a survival guide on how to get through Black Friday and live to tell the tale.

Our tips, compiled with the help with trading standards officials at Newcastle Council, reveal how to get the best bargains and make sure you don’t get ripped off.

(Image: David Parry/PA Wire)

It’s designed to help you get the best out of the spending spree on November 27 and concentrates on online purchases.

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday was originally an American tradition, and takes place on the first Friday after Thanksgiving.

Retailers offer massive discounts on a masses of products to persuade shoppers to spend their hard-earned cash in the run-up to Christmas.

Many people in the US have the day off, and as a result it’s been the busiest shopping day of the year for nearly a decade.

In recent years UK retailers have jumped on the bandwagon so bargain hunters over here get the chance at some festive deals.

12:00

Fly to Europe for £2

Budget airline Ryanair has jumped on the Black Friday 2015 bandwagon with sales of tickets to destinations around Europe for just £2.

You can book tickets on Ryanair’s website here from airports around the UK and Ireland to Warsaw, Barcelona, Lisbon, London and Oslo.

Annoyingly, you still have to search through the fare finder to get the deals, but we found a round trip from Birmingham to Dublin in January for £3.40 and a round trip from Edinburgh to London in January for £4.

11:51

Toy store deals

Smyths has launched its Black Friday deals early so shoppers eager to get their hands on a bargain will have to be quick before the best offers sell out.

Savings include 20% off all Lego City products, three for two on all Crayola products, huge reductions on selected Nerf, Frozen and Fisher-Price products and many more savings on toys and video games.

Halfords is holding Black Friday offers in store and online for the first time - with half price offers on selected children’s bikes, scooters, ride-ons and toys.

Baby goods retailer Mothercare has launched some early Black Friday deals, with up to 60% off selected soft toys, baby activity gyms and outdoor toys.

Argos slashed prices of toys from last Friday and guaranteed they will NOT be reduced any further for Black Friday itself.

Petrol drops below £1 a litre at ASDA

Asda has today reduced the price of petrol to under £1 a litre - but says it has nothing to do with Black Friday.

The three-day price drop is the first time since 2009 that a litre of unleaded petrol has cost less than £1.

The supermarket has cut the price of unleaded petrol by 4p to 99.7p, meanwhile a litre of diesel will cost 103.7p.

The price drop will be in place today, Saturday and Sunday, coinciding with Black Friday flash sales across shops in the UK.

11:31

Amazon's deals

Amazon has launched some exciting deals for the next 24-hours, including kindles, kitchen appliances, beauty electricals and Xbox One bundles.

Over the course of the week, the online retail giant has revealed over 7,000 Deals of the Day from sat navs, to electric toothbrushes and Minion toys - but they’ve promised the best deals on Black Friday itself.

Metrocentre helpers

Look out for these guys in Gateshead’s Metrocentre - they will help show you around if you’re picking up some bargains.

11:17

John Lewis vows to "win the war"

Retailers are promising discounts better than ever, with John Lewis vowing to “win” the shopping war, as well as Argos who has already released their best Black Friday deals.

But Curry’s could be beating them all as the place to go - with the shop reporting EIGHT sales every second on its website and shoppers snapping up 30 TVs a minute as records are smashed.

Since the Black Friday deals went live online, the £30 off Apple iPads deal proved particularly popular, with the Dyson V6 Animal Cordless Vacuum Cleaner (£239, down from £349.99) and the Samsung Ultra HD 4K 43 inch TV (£399, down from £549) also going down well with shoppers.

11:11

Online stores 'struggle to cope with demand'

A number of the nation’s top online retailers are struggling to cope with the level of demand.

Argos, JD Sports and Currys have all suffered outages as millions of customers flooded their websites in search of deals.

It was estimated that the website problems would equate to a £4.33m loss against the predicted £1.07bn Black Friday revenue across the UK.

11:07

Online mobile phone deals

Here are five mobile deals from uSwitch, each with savings of £60-£120. All deals end either on November 30 or December 1.

They say it is all online, so no wrestling in store required.

iD Mobile + Apple iPhone 6s Rose Gold 16GB

What you get: 1GB data, 600 minutes, 5000 texts, 24 months, 4G

Monthly cost: £27.50

Upfront cost: £49.99 (Usual price £149 upfront)

Saving: £100

Vodafone + Apple iPhone - 6 Grey - 16GB

What you get: 2GB data, unlimited minutes and texts, 24 months, 4G

Monthly cost: £26

Upfront cost: £49.99 (Usual price £109.99 upfront)

Saving: £60

Vodafone + Samsung - Galaxy S6 - Edge 32GB

What you get: 6GB data, unlimited minutes and texts, 24 months, 4G

Monthly cost: £31

Upfront cost: £0 (Usual price £108.99 upfront)

Saving: £108.99

Vodafone + Sony Xperia - Z5

What you get: 1GB data, 1000 minutes, unlimited texts, 24 months, 4G

Monthly cost: £25

Upfront cost: £29.99 (Usual price £149.99 upfront)

Saving: £120

SIM-only deal on iD Mobile (no handset)

What you get: 4GB data, 500 minutes, 5000 texts, 4G

Monthly cost: £10

Upfront cost: N/A

Saving: £5 a month (based on comparable packages from a range of providers on uSwitch.com)

11:00

Fairtrade retailers offer an alternative on Black Friday

Fair Trade retailers are offering an alternative to the frenzy of Black Friday.

People Tree, Divine Chocolate and Traidcraft found that more than half of the UK is negatively affected by the shopping fever in the run-up to Christmas.

It prompted the ethical retailers to come up with ‘Just Friday’, an initiative that is designed to ‘make Black Friday light again.’

The thinking behind the campaign is that, if people took a moment to stop, breathe, and buy mindfully and ethically, they could use their spending power to help people across the world.